5.7 DOG-HEADED

  Tikum was in so much pain he didn't know where one began and where the other ended. His injuries was slowing him down, even with the help of the golden tikbalang's mane. To make things worst, an extreme unease had started to occupy his mind. It kept him from turning his head back, as though someone was following him, stalking every footstep he made. Was the gadlumanon close by? Was it following him now? All these questions came and went, and before he could answer them a new one would come. Every step seemed like a dream as well, light and floaty. Worse, his eyes would occasionally dim, turning the world around him into a tilting and twisting mess before reverting back.

  Tikum wasn't the religious kind, but he started to pray earnestly for the devatas to keep him safe everytime it happened. The idea that he was going to be torn apart by a fiendish creature from the bottomless shadows of Gadlum made his words all the more sincere and a tad bit desperate. He also prayed for Ukok's safety, hoping his daughter was in no imminent peril. But he knew the worse was yet to come. The lingering sensation still hounded him, making his heart beat in a panic state. When he could no longer hold his self together he halted. Now, came the choice, should he run? Or face his fear? He took a second, trembling at the thought. But he had to move. So, Tikum mustered enough courage to turn and take a glance back behind him. He shook his head, feeling great relief when no one was there but the darkness. Tikum couldn't tell if he was just imagining things anymore. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Fear was creeping itself around him, twisting his very senses close to madness. All the while dread grew in his heart.

  The sky was a gray slab when Tikum paused for a moment to center himself. Time had passed but he was to disorientated to know the difference. All he knew was he'd been walking in the dirt trail for such a time that his feet ached already, but every step he took away from gadlumanon was welcomed. The distance between them slowed his heart a little, giving clarity for a short time. The respite urged him on, letting the Black Dog shed the cloud of confusion that the shadow-fiend left behind his mind. Again, he gave out a resounding curse just to hear a sound and dispell the loathsome silence. Then, he felt the wrongness again, seething and taking form in his gut. He sighed. It was there. It will always be there every time a shadow-fiend was near. The gadlumanons would only awaken it. Tikum thought of one thing amidst it all. He thought of Ukok and his promise of bringing her back to his hometown. Back to Ananipay. He wiped the cold sweat on his face. All of the things he did was for her. Only for Ukok. So, Tikum continue on and endured.

  He did a quick scan of the path he took. "Where in Libulan's ass am I?" He didn't expect that it would take him this long to traverse through the forest and reach the nearest town. Shit. Was he going in circles? Was he going to fail Ukok again? Was he too late already? No. He would not let that happen. He would save Ukok.

  "Gi-atay," he said as he moved through th tall trees, avoiding their mangled roots. Nothing was cooperating. Everything seemed a bit harder than it usually was. Like the very anitos themselves were playing a nasty game against him. He hissed and promised to burn the whole forest for delaying him. For keeping him from his daughter.

  When he finally arrived in Ulay, he went straight to its town hall, not minding the ruined homes around him. He only stopped for a moment to light a torch and to pick a discarded kampilan on the debris-covered ground. The warm light from torch was reassuring and the single-edged sword gave him a bit of courage.

  The hall was no different itself from the rest of the town. Its doors were gone and familiar runic patterns stained the wooden floor. What the arcane symbols didn't touch was either cracked or splintered. Splotches of blood and something akin to oozing tar covered the rest of the walls. Tikum gingerly walked over the ruins and saw the two champions of Raguet on the far side of the hall still unconscious. Then, Tikum turned around hearing a sound break the cold silence. He raised the torch as the same dread he felt earlier came back in two-folds. He was in no shape to fight. Or even to flee from what this may be. He grew more tense. He was barely containing the drumming of his heart when he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps in the shadows.

  "Don't be stupid. Or too smart," he said. "Know that I'm not afraid to use this!" He raised his blade, pointing its keen edge at the darkness that the light couldn't touch. "I won't regret killing any scum here."

  "Yes, you won't," a voice that was all too familiar answered him from the darkness, but it was weak and strained, not as imperious as it once was.

  Tikum squinted as he drew the torchlight in the dark. He had to be sure. He wished it was someone else. But the speaker's murmuring gave her away. Tikum swallowed a clump of saliva on his throat. "Where's my daughter!" He stepped forward, pointing the blade's edge at the hunched silhouette in front of him. He couldn't stop his hand from trembling. "Where's my goddamn daughter!"

  "My dear husband... How pleasant it is to find you visiting me this time instead of your usual way," Amburukay answered as she limped out from the shadows, face gaunt with fatigue. "Finally got tired of running?"

  Tikum dropped the torch and it rolled to a halt a few inches short from the foot of the witch. A line of blood fell from Amburukay's temple down the side of her head. He did not look well as she stood shakily, trying to muster the remaining strength in her body. Amburukay coughed and covered a nasty bruise that run through her forearm, using her black tattered wak-wak robe.

  "It seems you are too late..." she said, wiping the blood from her lips dry. "Always... too late."

  Tikum rushed towards her, seeing an advantage he may never have again. He dropped the sword and closed both hands on Amburukay's throat.

  "Where's my daughter?" He lifted her up, ignoring the pain it brought him.

  "Do you mean our daughter?" She grimaced in pain as his nails dug through the skin of her neck. "I was expecting a loving embrace... I'm not disappointed."

  He shook the manghihiwit. "No more posturing. Tell me, now! Tell me you witch! Where is Ukok?"

  "She's not here with us." She avoided his eyes. "Ukok is not with me... I failed."

  "What did you do to her!?" Tikum said but the manghihiwit stayed silent, this time staring straight at his eyes. "Answer me!" he added.

  Amburukay spat at him, covering his battered face with specks of blood. "You shouldn't have taken Ukok from me!"

  Tikum tightened his grip and she grimaced in pain.

  "I could easily snap your neck sorceress. Tell me, right now! Where is my daughter? What have you done with her?"

  Amburukay growled back but eventually relented. "Your old master has our daughter." She struggled to speak, face turning red. "Sri Kihod took her away from me! He took her away from me... just like you. He took Ukok away."

  "He couldn't. He's been trapped in Gadlum." Tikum's grip loosened, more out of terror and loss than for pity for his wife. "He wouldn't have–"

  "He did." She cleared her throat. "He overpowered the gadlumanon I summoned and made his way to our realm. He's become so powerful. Somehow, he weakened it... He weakened the wards that bound him. Somehow he escaped."

  Tikum grimaced. How could his former master escape? Did Sri Kihod really weaken the gadlumanon on his own? He stared at his wrist were the braided mane was tied and realized the truth.

  Was it. No. No. No. He felt cold with his realization. It was him. It was his actions. He dropped his head in dismay, feeling all the guilt in the world drown him. The tikbalang's mane may have saved his life from the gadlumanon but it did something worse too. Far too worse than he bargained for. His thoughts were cut off by how brittle Amburukay's voice was when she spoke.

  "I failed to protect her." Tears began falling from Amburukay's eyes, seeping with it all the bottled emotion in her.

  She knew the consequence of using the gadlumanon. She thought it was the only way to continue. But the risk didn't work this time. "This is all my fault, Tikum. This is my fault." She faced him. "And... and yours too. Your foolishness started this."

  Tikum loosened his grip and stepped backed from his wife, trying to fight the dizziness and confusion away inside his mind. "No... No... No." He dropped his head and collapsed on the floor. "You're lying." He felt as though all the air in his lungs were punched out of it in one single blow. "Where are you hiding my daughter?"

  Amburukay said something but Tikum couldn't make it out. He was distracted as the lingering feeling of anxiety whirled inside his mind. He felt nauseous as though the ground itself tilted and all began spinning. What should he do now? He felt confused. He felt helpless. He felt disgusted with himself. It was as though everything was for nothing. Then, Tikum's head shot up. "Where did they go?"

  "I don't know." Amburukay paused, thinking.

  "Yes, you know. You're the only other person who knows the ritual to make Ukok into that damnable living channel. You and Kihod are the only ones who could open the gates to Gadlum. So, spill it all out now!"

  Amburukay shook her head. "You can't defeat him. He's become something else, Tikum. I couldn't stop him... He was too powerful. I did all I can to save Ukok but it wasn't enough."

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  "I'm not you."

  "You won't fair well if you fight him head on." She paused again, feeling more weary and worn. "He'll kick you around like the dog that you are. And we–"

  Something clicked inside Tikum's hard head. "Yes..."

  "Yes to what?" Amburukay's head shot up.

  "We. That's right." He barked out a laughter.

  "Have you gone insane?"

  "Yes. No. Yes. Can't you see it? We have to save her," he growled the last word. "Do you hear me? There's no other way. We have to do it."

  "There is no we," snarled Amburukay. "There won't be. That time has long passed. You've burnt that bridge into fine ash along time ago."

  "We both have to save Ukok from our master, Ambu. Don't you see it? You're supposed to be the smart one."

  "See what? Oh, you buffoon! What'll you do? Run and let him chase you to death?"

  "No. No. No more running. Us. It has to be us... because this is Ukok we're talking about." He paused, tearing a piece of bandage around his waist. "Whether you like it or not, you know deep inside that I'm right."

  Every word felt too foreign for Tikum. Too strange. Or perhaps it was the other way around. It tasted like a lie but somehow it wasn't. Well, not all of it. He took a deep breath as Amburukay closed her eyes. Slowly she took a step back and steadied herself, using the wall.

  She shook her head. "Ingrate! He's become almost like demigod! No one can stop Sri Kihod. Once I thought, I could. But..." She snapped her head back at Tikum. "You know all to well that he's not just any old fool. After what you did to him... I'm pretty sure he'll flay you first before he kills you."

  "That's not worth looking forward to. But I'm still right. You knew it the moment you closed your eyes."

  "It'll be a slow and agonizing end for you, Tikum. That's worth looking forward to."

  "Still not encouraging... But I've made up my mind. You should to if Ukok is of any worth to you."

  "Never question my love for Ukok."

  "You still haven't said yes. So, I could still be right–"

  "You'll be needing an army to defeat him, Tikum. No. That's being too generous An army of warrior serf would only slow Sri Kihod down..."

  "Let me worry about the army."

  "Weren't you listening to me?"

  "No, you're the one who isn't listening. Can you hear yourself, Ambu? We're talking about Ukok. Our daughter!" Tikum paused, mulling over something and looking past her. He kept on looking around the vast town hall, wary and vigilant. "And I'm not just any timawa." He approached the corner where Mendang lay unconscious and squatted close to her, watching as Mendang's chest heaved in air.

  Amburakay walked by his side, fatigue and hesitancy in every step. "Don't worry she's still alive."

  "Well, it's good to know that the devatas' luck is still on our side. We may need her to fight Kihod."

  "Is she a buruhisan as well?"

  "No. She's better. She has an army."

  "A puyang's ward were all over her and Ukok, that's why Sri Kihod brought them here. He used me to get to Ukok. He couldn't undo it."

  He nodded. "Jurah said it had to be the warder himself or someone blood-related. It was the only way to undo her protective wards. It was either me or you."

  "And somehow our wily master knew." Amburukay slumped down, shaking her head. "You don't understand how grave things are. Sri Kihod... He only left me alive so I could see my daughter become his tool. He'll remake Ukok into his key to the Bone Gates. He'll unleash all the madness there..."

  She raised her hand, but gone were the black stains on it from her use of blood magic. Somehow Sri Kihod found away to sever her binding spells to the other realm, curing her soul's stain. And with that, her anchor to the shadow plains of Gadlum, where she channeled her powers from was also lost.

  Amburukay didn't know if she could regain it or not and apart of her was afraid that it wouldn't return. That this was it. That she was permanently cut off from the Shadow realm.

  Amuburukay took a long breath to clear her mind. "It's my punishment. He told me it was my punishment. A fate worse than death..." She smiled without mirth. "–to be helpless. To be weak."

  "No." Tikum sprang up. As he walked, his already drumming heart beat even faster. Then, he did something even he couldn't explain. He opened his palm in front of Amburukay, offering the piece of bandage entangled on his fingers. The cloth's tip danced as a stray breeze entered the hall uninvited. "We'll have to prove old Kihod wrong."

  Amburukay looked him in the eye. There was no pretense in them, only pure intent and determination. He actually believed what he said. He actually thought they had a chance. She hesitated for a second before taking the bandage from his hands. She tore it in half and proceeded to tie the first one on her bleeding arm.

  Tikum sighed, half expecting her to tear him down and pulverized him to dust but she remained silent as though contemplating about her next actions.

  "We... We will save her, Ambu, " he whispered the words while she tied the other half of the bandage on the gash on her temple to staunch the bleeding. Tikum was surprised at how calm he was.

  "That's what Kihod intends to do, for you to follow him and let you watch how much you and I fail. You know he likes to torture his foes first. Play with his food."

  Tikum shook his head. "Then he's mistaken. You'll help me... we'll have to help each other. Don't you see? He won't expect it, " Tikum added as he turned to the prone Karas and Tihol, in time to see the two move and twitch back closer to consciousness.

  "You speak nonsense, the sun's light will soon ring the moon in half a month's time. The day for the Halad will come, and by then Sri Kihod will–"

  "We'll stop him."

  "You? Stop him?"

  "I'd welcome your help. If you want to. Only if you're not busy. "

  "You? You still lack the will to sacrifice yourself. You'll only slow me down. I'll find a way to get my daughter back on my own... A man as selfish as you? When real trouble comes knocking you'll just run away."

  Her words struck Tikum. It was like being stung by a furious wasp. The kind of sting that lasted longer than it should be. But what irked him was not that she was wrong but because of their familiarity. It was as though every word came from his own tongue. He stifled the guilt and the anger inside him that was about to erupt. It would only worsen things. And the fact that he already made his mind about the matter calmed him down. He breathed in deeply.

  He needed Amburukay's aid, for now.

  "You and I will bring our daughter back," Tikum said with finality in every word. "We always worked better together. You know that deep down. We might have our own differences back then."

  She looked him in the eye, unsure of what to make of his words.

  Tikum shrugged. "Even now... But now's not the time to rehash all of those things. And yeah, you're probably right about me. You've always been the smarter one. So, set aside that pride aside–"

  Amburukay chuckled as though Tikum made a joke. "Ridiculous!" she said. "You and me? How do you suppose to do that? A truce, my husband? Do you want a truce? But at what price?"

  "You sound scared. Are you scared to fight by my side?" Tikum said mockingly. "My life is the price. You can try to kill me after. If you really want to."

  "Oh that, I will."

  "If you can, that is. Trying's always for free."

  "You still think of me as a weakling?"

  "I never thought of you that way. I always admired you strength. Always–"

  Amburukay cut him off. "It doesn't take magic to swing a blade to your neck. There's so many ways to kill a dog." Amburukay began a coughing fit.

  Tikum raised his hand placatingly. "Settle down, we don't want you doing rash things in your current state."

  She snapped her head towards him. "You little bastard–"

  Tikum smiled. "Do you have any options left? It's a clean deal."

  She spat blood. "As clean as a dog's mouth." She raised her head and clenched her jaw.

  "I never saw you as someone weak, Ambu," Tikum said. "Truth is, you were always better. Better in magic. Better in whatever you put your mind into. I saw that early on. I felt it. Honestly, half of me is scared of it. The other is jealous. But now... Now Ukok's in danger. And she needs us." There was truth in Tikum's words. A rare occurrence. A novel paradox on its own.

  Amburukay sighed. "Let's suppose I say yes to your stupidity, how will you do it? I'm certain that you won't be as lucky as the first time you defeated him. You've got nothing–"

  "Well... I'm glad you ask. But before I answer that. Give me a hand. Let's get those two up, my back's been killing me lately," he said, pointing at Karas and Tihol. "By the way, thank you for the vote of confidence."

  Amburukay gritted her teeth. "Listen to me! For once, don't be stubborn!"

  Tikum eyed her. "I am listening. I was always listening. You're the one who's not listening. Yeah, you're damn smart, but you're not right all the time."

  Tikum paused, realizing that he may have overstep this time. He changed tact and mumbled an apology. He didn't wan't to give away ground but he knew that nothing came out good if emotions held the reins. He needed to be calm because the opposite didn't really worked for him. Too many things failed when he rushed them. He knew he could still convince her. He needed to convince Amburukay to save Ukok.

  He nodded, making her pause and listen. "We need their help too Ambu. We need it if we want to fight a monster as strong as a demigod. We need it for Ukok's sake. For your daughter."

  Amburukay's deathly stare softened a bit as Tikum offered the golden tikbalang's mane. Taking it from his hand, she felt the soothing feeling its aura offered.

  Amuburukay stared at it closely. It was a healing artifact? It was the complete opposite of her black braided talisman. Perhaps, it was its twin, she thought. She studied its magic. Could it undo what has been done to her? Could she use it to retrace her channel back to Gadlum? Could she regain her powers back using it?

  "Take care of that, Ambu. Our victory may hinge on that little thing."

  Amburukay sighed as Tikum helped Karas up. If only she was strong enough, she could probably save her daughter all on her own but magic always had its price. She knew that given enough preparations she could beat the wiles of her master. And the talisman could be her way. But it wouldn't be enough.

  She closed her eyes as Tikum turned his back from her. Fate had other plans for her, now. To fight it seemed impossible. Doubt crossed her as she considered the notion of helping her foe. What if Tikum was scamming her? What if this was one of his schemes? It wasn't below him. She swallowed a curse. What ifs were not for her. She always dealt with absolutes. But Ukok was more important...

  She growled in exasperation, everything was in circles. Nothing seemed to make real sense. Things were either turning for the worse or she was simply already dead and this was her little hell. But she had to give it to Tikum this time. He was right and she actually had nothing to lose right that moment.

  Amburukay tried to channel energy from the Dark realm but the well was dry. For now, that is.

  Another way of seeing her situation was that this was just another sacrifice. Everything is, after all. And it was for Ukok. And she was always worth it. When this was over she could finish what she and Tikum started. She could end him. That, was the only absolute in all of this.

  "Your head was always as hard as a rock, Tikum," she whispered, dragging her tired and beaten body towards Tihol. The bagani of Raguet still struggled as the pain of being out of control for days washed over her mortal mind.

  Amburukay stooped towards her, eyes glued at Tikum. Her husband. Her enemy. And now, her ally?

  Tikum, on the other hand, was busy mending the many bruises and scratches of Tihol's older sister, Karas.

  "I wonder if Sri Kihod would have a hard time breaking that stubborn head of yours, " the manghihiwit shook his head. Then, she turned to Tihol, raising the golden tikbalang's mane above her face while using her other hand to secretly pocket one of the bagani's daggers.

  It may come in handy later, she convinced herself. As sharp things always did. Then, Amburukay watched as Tihol's features improved. The manghihiwit's eyes glistened as the aura of the tikbalang's mane flared up. "Well, there's only one way to find out," she said.

  After seeing that Karas was in no real harm, Tikum faced Amburukay, raising a brow. "Did you say something?" The Black Dog sighed after Amburukay ignored him, bathing herself with the talisman's magic.

  Well, one thing you could say about Tikum, is that he's stubborn as hell with a head that's as hard as a rock, even in the face of despair and utter defeat. And yeah, even in the face of a demigod...